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Peace and Prosperity
in
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Archive for the ‘Bomes' Productivity Points to Ponder’ Category
The Holiday Season
Friday, December 23rd, 2011Self-Esteem / Self-Image
Thursday, October 6th, 2011Self-esteem is always the result of self-image. As we see ourselves, so we place value on ourselves. Self-image is the definition we have of ourselves. It is what we see when we look in the mirror of our own self perceptions. Thus, it is critical that we take care of the behaviors and situations we put ourselves in — for from these our definition of “self” is made.
What reason weaves, by passion is un-done.
— Alexander Pope
Sixteen Steps for Organizational Greatness: Step FIVE
Friday, July 1st, 2011Organizational Greatness: Step # 5 of 16
By William Creech, Gen. Ret. USAF, 1927-2003
Step #5: BASE THE STRUCTURAL BUILDING BLOCKS ON SMALL TEAMS NOT ON BIG FUNCTIONS
- Organize by teams for involvement, agility, and an ownership focus.
- Keep each team at a reasonable size.
- Provide each its own identity.
- Every team has a product.
- Identify it. Dignify it. Celebrate it.
- Form teams of teams.
- Clearly identify the interfaces between teams.
- Provide each team ample authority over its part of the product.
Are your current teams structured for effectiveness? Not all teams are the same. Analyze your team structure. How does each team operate internally to achieve its purpose? How does each team interact with and support other teams and the overall organization? Great organizations are built by great teams.
Sixteen Steps for Organizational Greatness: Step THREE
Monday, June 20th, 2011Organizational Greatness: Step #3 of 16
By William Creech, Gen. Ret. USAF, 1927-2003
Step #3: USE A DECENTRALIZED. INTERACTIVE SYSTEM THAT INTEGRATES ALL LEVELS
- Organize for the new realities.
- Centralism is a bankrupt approach.
- Ensure they are wholly understood and widely practiced…by all.
- Give them vigor through insistence, persistence, and consistency.
- Build a decentralized structure on the teams-outputs-product model.
- Replace the “I and my” mindset usually found with that of “we and our.”
- Foster belief in the rich rewards of teamwork and professionalism.
- Build strong commitment by all to highest quality and productivity.
Using a decentralized system that is interactive and integrates the various levels empowers your organization to produce widespread high quality results. Consider how your organization is structured. What structural changes do you need to make to your organization to establish a foundation of greatness?
Sixteen Steps for Organizational Greatness: Step TWO
Wednesday, May 25th, 2011Organizational Greatness: Step #2 of 16
By William Creech, Gen. Ret. USAF, 1927-2003
Step #2: FIRMLY ESTABLISH THE CHARTER AND CULTURE OF YOUR ORGANIZATION:
- Develop the overarching principles.
- Key them towards the human spirit.
- Ensure they are wholly understood and widely practiced…by all.
- Give them vigor through insistence, persistence, and consistency.
- Stress ETHICAL conduct, integrity, and courtesy in all endeavors.
The principles flow top down, but their power must flow bottom up.
Do you have a charter that establishes and reinforces the culture within your organization? Be certain that you do – and that it follows the above guidelines. Having a principle-driven charter that is consistently practiced provides endless power within great organizations.
Sixteen Steps for Organizational Greatness: Step ONE
Thursday, May 19th, 2011Organizational Greatness: Step #1 of 16
By William Creech, Gen. Ret. USAF, 1927-2003
Step #1: BUILD YOUR CULTURAL APPROACH AND ITS PRINCIPLES ON FIVE SYSTEM PILLARS:
PRODUCT*PROCESS*ORGANIZATION*LEADERSHIP*COMMITMENT
- The product is the focal point for the organizations purpose and achievement.
- Quality in the the product is impossible without quality in the process.
- Quality in the process is impossible without the right organization.
- The right organization is meaningless without proper leadership.
- Strong bottom-up commitment is the support for all the rest.
Each pillar depends upon the other four. If one is weak, all are weak.
Is your organization equally strong in all five system pillars? Identify the weak points within each pillar and it will strengthen each pillar individually and your organizational greatness overall.
Keeping a Positive Mental Attitude
Friday, April 29th, 2011An all-news radio station in Los Angeles features little vignettes presented by Michael Josephson, President of The Josephson Institute of Ethics. This week, he told a well-known story that emphasizes the importance of keeping a positive mental attitude. The story goes:
Two shoe salesmen were both assigned to a backwoods section of the country by their respective companies. One was very upset. He thought he had no chance of selling any shoes. The reason was because the people went around barefooted. The other salesman was thrilled. The reason was because the people went around barefooted.
Guess which salesman sold the most shoes? You guessed it – the thrilled salesman saw the opportunity and had a positive attitude to successfully sell lots of shoes.
Even if you have heard this story before, it is a great reminder about how your perspective and mental attitude impacts whether we succeed or fail.
Which salesman are you most like? Take an inventory of your perspective and your behavior-and be certain yours are positive.
Winning is a Habit that Can Be Learned
Thursday, April 21st, 2011“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
–George Eliot
Have you ever caught yourself wishing you had done something differently, yet feel that it’s too late to start now?
Clients often talk to us about how they wish they had done something differently earlier. Now, in hindsight, they see how they missed personal or professional opportunities where they could have accomplished more.
It’s never to late, though. There are many examples of people becoming great successes at something they start in their later years. People leave one profession they have been trained in and apply their experience towards new opportunities that creates a whole new career–
at any age.
As Goethe said, “You had better live your best, think your best and do your best today…for today will soon be tomorrow and tomorrow will soon be forever” Go for it.
Just Be Quiet and Listen!
Friday, April 15th, 2011Dictionary.com’s meaning of the word : com·mu·ni·ca·tion (noun)
1. the act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated.
2. the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs.
3. something imparted, interchanged, or transmitted.
We communicate every day. Whether people are at work or at home, there is the opportunity to communicate effectively and in a civil manner–regardless of if they agree or disagree. Sometimes, when the pressure is on, it is more difficult to refocus on listening because our own concerns take over.
The real art in communicating is LISTENING. Give people a chance to express their thoughts before you judge what they are saying. It is hard. The rate at which people talk is between 125 to 175 words per minute. We listen at a rate of over 650 words per minute. It takes great discipline to stop the voice in your head and really concentrate on what the other person is saying.
So much can be accomplished through effective communication. The decision that has to be made is between whether you want to be right; or whether you want to be successful. Giving up being right allows you to increase your ability to listen. When all parties involved are heard and understood, the next step becomes how to create a solution that works.
Based on the challenges organizations have and the number of divorced families, people often want to be right rather than happy and successful. Sometimes better ways of communicating are not always clear without intentionally learning how.
Understanding the meaning of the word “communication” is one thing. Putting effective communication into practice is another. Being aware of taking the time to constructively express yourself when it is your turn to talk and to listen thoughtfully to others when it is their turn is a step in the right direction. The rewards to be gained are tremendous.
Persistence
Friday, April 15th, 2011“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent
will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with
talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
– Calvin Coolidge
To be persistent, you must first be committed to a worthy goal. A goal worth pursuing is connected to a vision. Take time to identify your vision and the primary goal related to it. By doing this first step, you will set the stage for success. The goal drives your actions. Being persistent and determined in taking actions directly related to achieving your goal allows you to apply your talent, genius, and education to stay on track until you achieve it.